360 Promotions – let's brand together

I love companies that combine fun, creativity and branding into one amazing marketing concept! So, two thumbs-up to Chick-Fil-A for celebrating Cow Appreciation Day on July 10^th (see blog post from June 15^th)! How are they celebrating you ask???

· On July 10^th Chick-Fil-A will award a free combo meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner) to any customer who comes to any one of the chains restaurants dressed as a cow – There are over 1,300 locations across the country to test it out!

What does it take to qualify as “Dressed as a Cow”? According to www.chickfila.com –

· An effort has to be made to be dressed like a cow from head to toe to qualify for the free full combo meal

· For customers who want to join in partial cow attire, such as a cow headband, cow printed hat, vest or purse – a free entrée will be given

· Need some ideas on how to accomplish this for free “eats” ? How about taking a white t-shirt, white shorts and white socks and painting black spots on them? Head to toe right? They also have a lot of other ideas on their website

You can check out the full details at www.chickfila.com or on their facebook page by clicking here.

….and that’s no Bull! (couldn’t resist….again)

Last weekend was Father’s Day and I went to East Texas to see my family. On Sunday morning, after my Granny made pancakes, she decided that we needed to go through old memorabilia to see who wants what. In case you’re wondering, I am so NOT a pack rat and while I love my family and want keepsakes of them, you have to know when enough is enough…Right?

As we were going through the boxes, you will never believe what we stumbled upon…. a custom calendar and imprinted car trash bag from 1965! Yes, they are both 44 years old but are in mint condition! They are from the grocery store my Grandparents owned and my Granny kept them all this time.

I am so glad that I took the time to stroll down memory lane with my Granny and she gave me the calendar so that I can take it and have it framed. Now you know that even promotional products can make priceless family heirlooms!

Using Promotional Products as part of your advertising mix is absolutely the way to go, but like any other part of your marketing plan….the pieces have to come together in a way that really benefits and drives your business.  We are in the business of helping you tie it all up, so we’re not just being nosy or entering your information into some marketing mix of our own – we just really want to help you succeed and have a great experience using Promotional Products!

Help us…Help you!

P.S.  The soapbox says “Thanks for your time” – see you soon, but not too soon!

Consider this….do you want to qualify what you give away?  I briefly talked about a Tier Program in Part One but there are several ways to go about it so I decided to expand on the idea – Here’s what I’ve got for a start

·        Do you want to use your Promo Items as a Thank-You?  The qualifier here is that the recipient has done business with you –

·        Do you want to use them as a reward for people coming to see you or requesting information about your product or service?

·        Do you want to use your item as a way to reward your customers/potential customers for participating in some way?  Maybe in a demonstration, testing or a contest scenario?

·        Do you want to use it as an incentive for sales?  You can do this by including an “offer” or “coupon” with a redemption qualifier?

All of these are a great way to use your Promotional Products to “Qualify” your customers!

By now you might be thinking….Wow – Promotional Products require a lot of thought????  Actually, that is what we are here for – we can break it down with just a few questions…..One of the many great things about us Promo Gals!

No more suspense – here are the 4^th and 5^th things to consider for your advertising –

·        Budget – What kind of quality are you looking for?  How many do you need? Do you need a custom product?  Can you do more of several items to tie in throughout the year?  The greater the quantity…the lower the per piece price!

·        Message – Many times we can tie your message to an item that is a perfect compliment!  Share the message with us and we’ll barrage you with ideas!

All of this (with a few more to come) is our way of helping you to effectively incorporate Promotional Items into your Marketing and Advertising – it really is the number one way for people to keep on remembering you and your company…and keep on….and keep on….!

The Single Most Important part in the life of a promotional product is….(drum roll)…..Finding the right one!  There are literally hundreds of thousands of promotional products so this can seem like an overwhelming undertaking.  We have a search function on our website ( www.360promos.com ) that I have a love-hate relationship with – I love that it is available for people that love to shop and browse on the web…or want to order koozies at two in the morning!  But I also hate that it can seem like SO much….I mean, how will you ever choose from all of the cool ideas?

 Here are some “Rule of Thumb” guidelines for narrowing it down –

·        Again with the objective business…What is your objective?

·        Do you need to tie your item to a theme?

·        Are you trying to convey a specific message?

·        Are you trying to educate your target audience?

·        Do you have a purpose?  If not, let’s get one!

Remember….this is your company’s brand and image and we want to help you make it the absolute best that it can be!  Theme of the week – USE your Promotional Products Specialist!

……..Part 3…….Tomorrow!

My soapbox has been eyeing me from under my desk for a few weeks…so I thought before the looks turn evil, I would take it out and step up for a bit.  So, my soapbox rotation for the week is “USE YOUR PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS COMPANY”!!!  (the soapbox is thrilled to be out for a whole series!)  We are here to help, we want to help – please use us for more than someone that fills your orders (although we are great at that too!).

How can we help you “Get Some Groove to Your Giveaways”?

• Help You to Define Your Audience – A focused objective is crucial to your success and we can help you break that down.  Are these giveaways for key customers, prospects, employees or everyone that passes by?  Do you need something for all of the above?  We can help you to establish a Tier program for giveaways that meets your budget and creates the desired impact.
• Goal Setting – All promotional item purchases should be made with this in mind…”What do you want to achieve?”  Are you trying to launch a new product or idea,  are you trying to incite action or are you trying to increase your recognition with a particular audience?  We can help you make an impact with your message and with your promotional product by bringing the two together.

Look for my next posts for more ideas to help you get your……

July is a month of “EXPLOSIVE” celebration…..at 360 Promotions we like to focus on “CREATIVE” celebration!  What I’m saying is…..it’s time again for our list of fun and funky holidays that can spruce up your marketing and employee programs for July –

• July 2^nd is I Forgot Day – While I firmly believe that I personally have many more than one of these days…it’s nice to know that there is a day that actually recognizes and celebrates my “Senior Moments”.  This is a great day for Memo Pads or Recycled Journals that are accompanied by a pen – drop them off for clients and let them know that….They are Never Forgotten!
• July 10^th is Cow Appreciation Day – This day is nothing to “Moo” about!  One of the suggested methods of celebration is to kiss a cow – so…..since this seems a bit extreme for most of us we’ll just leave it at…celebrating cows is a great fun way to do some marketing!  Imprinted glasses for an ice cold glass of milk or a grill set for firing up some burgers. Restaurants and Grocery Stores often celebrate this holiday with specials….and that’s no Bull!
• July 23^rd is National Vanilla Ice Cream Day – Chocolate may be the number one ice cream seller in the United States, but Vanilla keeps it on it’s toes!  A “Cool” idea for celebrating is Ice Cream Floats in the Break Room where everyone gets an Imprinted Ice Cream Scoop!  This is another holiday where you should be on the lookout for special promotions at Ice Cream Shops and Grocery Stores!
• July 31^st is National Mutt’s Day – Every dog has it’s day and this is the day for one of our all time favorite type of dog…The Mutt!  What a great time to team up and volunteer at an animal shelter – you can do it within your organization and encourage your clients to come out and give a helping hand!  There are numerous ways to highlight a Dog Day, but bandanas are one of my favorites – they’re great for the poochies and their humans!

If you need more inspiration to celebrate July with “CREATIVITY” feel free to give us a call!  We’ll GET out and BE CREATIVE together!

Most days I forget to eat lunch until about 4 o’clock and then I start feeling like I might faint at any given moment. Last month I decided that enough was enough and I needed to start eating but I wanted something quick and relatively healthy. I decided on Lean Cuisine Original Pepperoni Pizza.

I’m not joking when I tell you that since the first of April I have eaten this, for lunch, at least four times per week.  3 minutes and 30 seconds in the microwave and viola – lunch is served! However, today the thought of eating another pizza makes me cringe; I am officially “totally burned out” from eating the same thing over and over.

 You’re probably wondering what my eating habits have to do with marketing? Companies tend to start a marketing campaign and when the results are successful, the tendency is to continue with the same campaign. Eventually your target audience will get “totally burned out” just like I did with lunch. In order to keep your marketing fresh you have to mix it up! 

A few simple ways to mix it up: 1.) Try adding a new color scheme 2.) Plan a year long campaign and have all of your collateral tie together but have slightly different items each quarter 3.) Consider packaging options. 

If you need help or just have a question, send me an email at jennifer@360promos.com!

I recently went to one of my son’s games where the coach handed me a clear baggie with something red in it…..hmmmmm.  I shoved it in the side pocket of my beloved Big Mouth Kooler and promptly forgot about it.  When the game was over, I walked to my car and stopped at a dumpster to throw away my son’s snack trash.  Since I don’t live in an episode of Law and Order, my interest is not often piqued by the contents of dumpsters, but this time I was clearly channeling Detective Benson (er, well…the Promo Detective?).  The dumpster had a number of clear baggies with the random, red, plastic thingies inside.

When I got home, I pulled out the baggie for further inspection….it had a sticker on it “Thanking” us for participation in their league this season and inside was an imprinted transluscent red key ring.  I kept looking at it though… because… I work in Promotional Products and inquiring minds want to know.  The more I am looking, the better it’s getting!  In fact, it is super handy – a really bright red LED light (great fun for the cats or more practical things like finding key holes) and a whistle (great for getting your kids to come running or walking safely through parking lots)!  Wow – If my inner Promo Detective hadn’t shown up, I would have thrown this in the “Donate to Somewhere” box!  The packaging was intended to make the impression of a gift, but unfortunately this particular packaging devalued the key chain and made it appear unnecessary and disposable.

So, what’s my point????  Your Promotional Products Distributor could have helped to prevent this influx of pretty cool key chains to the landfill.  We always have tons of ideas and creative ways to use and distribute your promotional products with the very best ROI in mind. 

So, saddle up with your Promotional Products Distributor and say “Howdy Partner”!